De Pere WNAXLP Monday, March 18, 2024 Business Board of Education Meeting Minutes The Business meeting of the De Pere Board of Education was held in the Community Room at De Pere High School on Monday, March 18, 2024, at 6:00 PM. School Board President Adam Clayton opened the meeting with the following announcements: This is a business meeting of the Board of Education of the Unified School District of De Pere. Notice of the meeting was given to the public by posting on the District website & at each school building. Finally, a copy of the notice was forwarded to The Press Times, the District's official newspaper. Meeting called to order: 6:02 PM. Roll Call: Present – Brittony Cartwright, Clayton, Jeff Dickert, Chad Jeskewitz, Jeff Mirkes, Melissa Niffenegger, & Matt Petersen. A quorum declared. Agenda: Jeskewitz motioned to approve the agenda. Petersen seconded. Approved: 7/0 Public Comment: One community member with an election item. De Pere High School Student Council Presentation: Hailey R., Madie R., Jessica R., & Kennedy B., provided an update on the student council's recent & upcoming activities including appreciation/recognition, blood drives, dances, & school assemblies. De Pere High School Presentation: Roger Allen, principal, presented the 2022-23 State Report Card results for De Pere High School. The overall score, 78.9, is in the Exceeds Expectations standard for the State. Trends & goal-setting processes were reviewed. Minutes: Cartwright motioned, & Niffenegger seconded to approve the February 19, 2024, minutes. Motion passed; 5/0. Jeskewitz & Petersen abstained. Cartwright motioned, & Petersen seconded to approve the March 4, 2024, minutes. Motion passed; 7/0. Additional 9-Week Tuition Waiver: Dr. Christopher Thompson presented the information regarding the request. Cartwright motioned & Niffenegger seconded. Motion carried; 7/0. First Reading of Revision to Policy 8800: Thompson presented information on the Religious Activities & Observances policy including background from the US Constitution, & Supreme Court decisions. A discussion was held. No action taken. Spring 2024 Board of Education Professional Development: Thompson presented information & options for board member professional development in governance, role, responsibilities, managing conflict, & engaging in solution-focused discussions. Training requested at a previous meeting. Motion to table until after the referendum vote made by Cartwright & seconded by Niffenegger. Motion to table passed; 7/0. Update on Superintendent Evaluation Cycle: Thompson presented information on the training & requested date availability for the training from board members. E-Rate Category 2 Infrastructure: Curt Pieschek, Dir. of Technology, presented information regarding replacing infrastructure at all the buildings in the 24-25 school year. The Board’s approval to move forward is required to submit paperwork for the E-Rate discount. 3 bids were presented & Pieschek requested to move forward with Heartland Business Systems. Dickert motioned to approve & Mirkes seconded. Motion passed 6/1. Cartwright voted nay. Innovative Grant Funding for the 2024-25 School Year: Thompson presented the history of the Innovative Grant Funding & the annual designation of funding from the School Board budget. Benefits & costs of the grants were discussed. Cartwright motioned to table until after the referendum vote & Niffenegger seconded. The motion to table failed on a 2/5 vote. Dickert motioned to approve $20,000 to fund the Innovative Grants & Petersen seconded. Motion passed 5/2. Cartwright & Niffenegger voted nay. Innovative Grants for the 2024-25 School Year: Nick Joseph, Dir. of Secondary Curriculum & Instruction, presented the scoring results from the board members. Dickert motioned to approve top 6 highest scoring grants & Mirkes seconded. Motion passed;5/2 vote. Cartwright & Niffenegger voted nay. Presentation of January 2024 Membership/Pupil Count: Thompson & Dawn Foeller, Dir. of Business, presented a report on the January 2024 Membership & Pupil Counts & the trends of the counts since 2016. Presentation on 2024-25 School Year Staffing Recommendations: Kirby Kulas, Dir. of Human Resources, presented the projected class size/ratios, & staffing changes for 2024-25. February Financial Reports: Jeskewitz moved to approve the report, & Petersen seconded. Motion passed; 7/0. Vouchers: Dickert motioned to approve the February vouchers. Niffenegger seconded the motion. Motion passed; 7/0. Upcoming Topics & Discussions: Clayton gave a shout-out to the boys basketball team for the outstanding season. Thompson reminded the Board about walking quorums & emails. Cartwright questioned the numbers on a document regarding the referendum. The document was from an outdated presentation. Niffenegger questioned an email she received regarding the referendum. She & Cartwright also questioned the process for responding to emails sent to the Board. Dickert suggested this be addressed in the Board Professional Training. Adjournment: Jeskewitz motioned to adjourn. Dickert seconded the motion. Motion carried; 7/0. Adjourned at 7:51 PM. Approved by the Board of Education on May 15, 2023. Jeffery Dickert, Clerk Publish 05.03.24 WNAXLP